May 17, 2008

"I consider myself a good friend of every one of my colleagues, both past and present. Some more than others. My best friend on the Court is and has been for many years, Ruth Ginsburg. Her basic approach is not mine, but she’s a lovely person and a good loyal friend."

Does he have no good friends off the Court?

CLARIFICATION: My question there is intended only as a criticism of the headline writer, not as a suggestion that Scalia has no good friends off the Court. I'm assuming he does, and the headline writer is assuming he doesn't.

Ann, since we don't have the full transcript of the interview, isn't it plausible that Ingram specifically asked him about his relationships with the other Justices? I doubt that she was searching out his general social and mental status.

I heard the interview. Laura Ingraham asked him what the relationships were like between the justices. What she seemed to be aiming at was asking him whether having different views influenced how the justices got along. And that was his answer.

It’s not unusual to have friends who have completely different political views. As long as you can be respectful and intelligent in your discussions you should be cool.

Really? Then why wouldn't you shut up until Obama had to completely renounced his friendship with his pastor and basically vowed to never speak with him again? Why were you completely incapable of understanding that Obama could be friends with Wright, but that didn't mean he bought into Wright's views.